Russia’s Olympic ban appeal won’t be heard before late April

Russia’s appeal against a four-year ban from the Olympics and other major sporting events will not be heard before the end of April and will be closed to the public, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in December last year barred Russians from competing under their country’s flag at major international events, including this year’s Tokyo Olympics, for four years after it found that Moscow had provided it with doctored laboratory data.

The sanctions also bar Russia from hosting or bidding for major sporting events for a four-year period.

Although WADA had requested that the hearing be held in public, CAS decided it would take place behind closed doors “due to the absence of an agreement between all parties concerned”.